Final answer:
Lutheranism holds that justification is by faith alone, rejecting the Catholic Church's sale of indulgences and the authority of the Pope, central beliefs stemming from Martin Luther's teachings and the Ninety-five Theses.
Step-by-step explanation:
A central belief of Lutheranism is that justification is by faith alone, without the need for indulgences or the intervention of the Pope. This belief directly challenged the Roman Catholic Church's practice of selling indulgences as a means to reduce time in purgatory and influenced the Protestant Reformation.
Martin Luther, the founder of Lutheranism, advocated for a Christianity based solely on the scripture, rather than traditions or the authority of the Pope. He emphasized that salvation was not achievable through human efforts or purchases, but through faith in God alone. By publishing the Ninety-five Theses, Luther sparked a theological revolution that would change the course of religious history.
Luther's translation of the Bible into German and his criticism of the Catholic Church's monetary practices, including the sale of indulgences, were fundamental to the formation of the Protestant faith. Luther promoted the idea that all vocations are equally valuable in the eyes of God, breaking from the Church's teaching that the clergy held a special status. His prolific writing and the invention of the printing press enabled the widespread dissemination of his ideas, which were central to the doctrines of Lutheranism.